Marvel's tentpole Summer movie is due to hit screens in 7 months and in the time since the(as yet unleaked) Comic Con footage we have had a few stills, set pics and a 6 second glimpse of Chris Evans' head on an ET teaser. Thor, which hits only 2 months earlier, has had not only an official teaser trailer but a whole 6 minutes of footage as well as behind the scenes featurettes and a poster. Is it possible that Marvel are unsure exactly how to market the film?
Captain America could be construed as a hard sell anywhere outside of, well, America. And even then overdoing the flag waving elements could turn off many on the home turf too. But underscore that too much and you turn off a whole different crowd. Of course Cap is a patriot, but his ideals extent way beyond "AMERICA: [frick] YEAH!" The best incarnation of the character has always represented the people and the pursuit of personal freedom from all walks of life all over the world. As a fan reading early Cap comics I found the character slightly hard to swallow at times(depending on who was writing) and those, lets call them "cheesy" elements would be amplified ten fold translated to film. Its a difficult balance. Is Director Joe Johnston up to the challenge? In interviews with our own Ed Gross he certainly seemed to have a solid grasp on how Cap should be portrayed but from a technical standpoint, personally, I don't think much of his previous work. In fact with the exception of The Rocketeer(and even then I only thought that was decent) I don't think he has made anything with any substance whatsoever. Visually, sure he can set the scene and create the right mood and atmosphere(
Hidalgo, The Wolfman); something that is already evident from the Cap shots we have seen, but when it comes to the characters, to establishing a solid connection to the audience? Well, lets just say I was rooting for the dinosaurs in
Jurassic Park 3. And with a character like Captain America that connection is vital if the film is to work.
Of course those are just my own concerns and you may not share them. They may have no bearing on the film at all. But even if everything is going swimmingly with the production and Marvel are very happy with things, the lack of marketing and promo material is a huge mistake. Now is the time to drum up interest. If over the next couple of weeks we begin to see some more from the film then this will be moot but if we don't, and the months pass with nothing? Sure, part of my worry is probably just impatience! I am dying to see how this movie will be presented. And I am cautiously optimistic because in Chris Evans at least, I believe the have the right man for Steve Rogers. But bad films suffer notoriously from lack of promotion. That coupled with my lack of confidence in Johnston has
me at least a bit worried. How about you?